Introduction

Alpha interferons have been the drug of choice for the treatment of hepatitis C since their discovery. However, the launch of pegylated interferons, namely Roche's Pegasys and Schering-Plough's PEG-Intron, has begun to revolutionize hepatitis C therapy and the dynamics of this market. 

Scope

Overview if the epidemiology of HCV and the existing patient potential for peginterferon-based therapies 

Analysis of the impact of Roche’s new product launch, Pegasys, on the HCV market and particularly the preformance of Schering-Plough's PEG-Intron 

Comparison of the individual strengths of both companies along with their promotional efforts 

Examination of potential drivers and barriers of growth for the pegylated interferons, with sales forecasts for the two leading products 

Report Highlights

HCV incidence is decreasing, with the new cases in the US falling by approximately 88% since 1989, to 22,000 new infections by 2002. 

Roche’s Pegasys and Schering-Plough’s PEG-Intron dominate the HCV interferon market, generating 2002 sales of $24m (launched mid-year) and $810m (IMS MIDAS), respectively. 

There are approximately 2 million HCV infected patients in Japan, creating a significant demand for peginterferon-based therapies. This market will be key to the overall success of Roche’s Pegasys. 

Reasons to Purchase

Understand the competitive dynamics of the hepatitis C market 

Evaluate the relative clinical advantages of pegylated interferon products 

Analyze key promotional strategies and predict the future success of pegylated interferons 

Publisher: Datamonitor Infectious Diseases Reports 

To order go to this URL: http://www.bioportfolio.com/cgi-bin/acatalog/Datamonitor_Infectious_Diseases.html#a239